Exploration of nanostructured cuprous oxide for sensing and purification

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to establish a link between the chemical changes of electrodes based on metal oxide nanostructures and their efficiency in converting energy. Electrochemical sensor was utilized to determine the analytical concentration of several components of the analyte solution, including dopamine, glucose, and hydrogen peroxide, among others. The second part of this thesis focuses on the application of metal oxide in the environmental field through the process of oil-water separation. The other part involves creating a metal oxide photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell. Certain metal oxide nanostructures have promising applications in energy conversion due to their biocompatibility, high surface area to volume ratio, and strong electro-catalytic activity and fast electron transfer kinetics. In addition, physical or chemical alteration of the electrode surface can effectively improve electrodes based on metal oxide nanostructures. Cuprous oxide (Cu2O), zinc oxide (ZnO), and cerium oxide (CeO2) are only a few of the metal oxide nanostructures that have been investigated in this thesis. Electrodes based on metal oxide nanostructures are generated on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) and copper mesh at low temperatures (< 100 ̊C) for use in biosensors and oil-water separation, respectively. As a result of these modifications, the electrodes were put through their paces as biosensors and oi-water separators. The effectiveness of chemically modified electrodes was established through doping with organic additives such as surfactants like ethylenediamine (EDA) and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP). In order to manipulate the shape of metal oxide nanocrystals, it has been found that organic additions play a significant role in the growth process. These organic additions serve double duty as contaminants that would drastically alter the electrodes' conductivity. The results presented in this thesis highlight the value of utilizing morphology-controlled nanostructures in the design of high-performance functional materials.